Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Events Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Downtown West Chester asks borough to credit parking revenue for Christkindlmarket; council debates whether it amounts to 'double dipping'
Summary
Councilors split over a Downtown West Chester (BID) request to apply shared parking revenue as a credit for the Christkindlmarket event; BID director provided event costs and parking revenue figures and said the arrangement makes the event affordable and benefits retailers; some councilors raised budgeting and fairness concerns.
A heated exchange over event funding took center stage in the parking committee portion of the Dec. 16 council meeting when Downtown West Chester (the borough’s business improvement district) asked the borough to credit parking-garage revenue to the BID for Christkindlmarket and similar special events in the central business district.
Council members debated language in the motion that originally would have applied to “all future events” in the Central Business District; several councilors urged narrowing the scope to avoid an open-ended commitment. Council Member (24) objected that the arrangement could amount to “double dipping” because the BID receives borough support through the budget and might then also receive credited parking revenue.
John O’Brien, executive director of Downtown West Chester, said the BID budgeted for the event and that the standard practice historically was to credit 50% of event parking revenue against the BID’s bill. He detailed event costs and revenues: “The total cost for overtime for public works, for police officers... was $16,500 approximately,” he said, and noted the borough received roughly $7,100 in parking revenue for the event after credits. O’Brien said the partnership is net-beneficial: vendors and retailers reported strong sales and the event drives foot traffic to small businesses.
Councilors who opposed the motion focused on fiscal management and timing — one councilor said being asked for more funds a week before the event was problematic, and another warned the borough cannot keep returning parking revenue to events without offsetting budget effects. Supporters emphasized the event’s economic benefits: one councilor estimated the town hosted about 19,000 people during the market’s peak Saturday.
Public comment included a question about out-of-borough vendor fees and the BID confirmed vendor fees and permit costs apply; the BID said vendors paid roughly $200 per booth and the event’s special-event footprint and budget were set well before the council revised policy in October.
Council did not finalize a permanent policy change in the meeting; members discussed removing the phrase "all future events" to focus the vote on the 2025 Christkindlmarket and to leave broader policy decisions to the formal special-event approval process.
Next steps: Council asked staff to refine motion language and consider event-specific criteria as part of the special-event approvals process.
